


Sedated

by Eurthiawennn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Other, Romance, Slow Burn, Teen Angst, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27001069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eurthiawennn/pseuds/Eurthiawennn
Summary: "You and I nursing on a poison that never stungOur teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of itSomewhere for this, death and gunsWe are deaf, we are numbFree and young and we can feel none of it."Severus Snape never told her that she was special. Yet, she never craved normalcy. Astraea Wilkes understood enough to know that her father was a Death Eater, and one that died for Lord Voldemort at that. Her mother Thalia was a mystery to her; all she remembered were her cries. Astraea never wished to become a Death Eater so young, but she knew her fate was tied to the Dark Lord. She's cunning and always trying to prove her worth. But was it ever really worth it?Slow burn, Draco/OC
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

Her first memory was of her mother crying. The wails of pain and relief bounced off linoleum walls, and the scent of disinfectant restrained her mother’s lungs. She only knew of her mother’s wails. Not her voice, not her touch, not even her somber glances. Curious eyes roamed the room catching Severus Snape stoic and displeased. He was aware that the blood loss determined Thalia Wilkes fate.

Thalia’s glazed eyes peered at Severus as her cracked lips tried to form words. “Sev—Severus,” she sputtered. “He cannot know. He—He can’t…”

Severus grimaced as he picked up the child, her round russet eyes questioning his disposition. “I will keep her safe.”

“She,” Thalia gasped as her eyes dilated—she was close. “She will be his downfall.” The child cooed in his arms, innocent and unaware of the world. Thalia’s breathing was shallow, her lips parting once more in a faint whisper, “Astraea.” Her chest caved in as her eyes fluttered shut. The child watched her mother’s still body, tiny hands reaching for a soul that was not meant to return. Turning in Severus’s arms she reached for his hook nose watching him wince as she pulled.

“Astraea, Goddess of Justice,” Snape said as he repositioned the child in his arms.


	2. Chapter 1

_Fifteen Years Later_

“Astraea, you can continue to scratch at it, but the mark will remain.” She stared disinterested at the ink on her forearm. The snake tongued through the skull in a menacing nature—a mark of death. The process had been painful; the dark magic used to ink her skin left her skin bruised and blistered for two weeks. Astraea remembers feeling nauseous throughout the whole process, but willed herself to remain stoic. The Dark Lord had been impressed by her ability to withstand the pain. Snape was furious when he learned that she was to be marked, but with his facade being throughly practiced no one but her could tell. When she showed Theodore the tattoo he had thrown up; the mark was always a touchy subject for him. His father always bragged about the day Theo would be marked, but even Astraea would never wish this fate on him. Theo’s father always expected too much of his son, and Theo could never live up to those expectations.

“Has Mr. Malfoy taken an interest in your mark?” Snape flipped the page of his book, Astraea could laugh at the forced question. She remembered how pale Draco looked the day she was marked. As much as he claimed to have wanted the mark, deep down it was understood that any child of a Death Eater could never fully understand the implications the mark brought. She always assumed that Draco had hated her, but that day his face showed something that could resemble respect. Although she knew under his mask there was fear. He was next after all. 

Astraea lifted her eyes off the table, “Malfoy’s air of arrogance seemed to die when his father was thrown into Azkaban.” 

“When one loses a loved one, they often remain silent,” Snape countered.

“Wouldn’t know the feeling,” she rolled her eyes. Bringing her tea to her lips, the cold remnants slid down her throat. Taking a deep breath she blew into her cup, hot steam rising and licking her nostrils.

“Astraea, what did I say?”

“Bloody hell, Snape. My tea was cold.”

“If the Dark Lord only knew…”

She cut him off quickly. “Well he doesn’t, does he? Because someone does not allow me to harness this power.” Astraea flexed her left hand under the table trying to keep her composure. 

“You are smart enough to understand why this must remain a secret,” Snape said as he brought his cup to his lips.

Astraea groaned fixing her posture and conjuring up her best Snape impression. “If the Dark Lord knew, then you would be exhausted as a weapon in this war. Your magic has not been seen for centuries. I will not allow him to use you.” She smirked across the table at Severus’s annoyed expression and took another sip of her tea. “I have heard the same lecture many times before Severus.” 

Astraea was only three when she started unknowingly using elemental magic. Unfortunately, Severus’s drapes suffered from their first encounter with her fire. At first he thought that she could just use fire, but after the miniature earthquake she caused at the age of five she was immediately put into training. Severus had her reading text written by Empedocles, the man to have discovered elemental magic. Astraea always understood that she was different, living in the Wizarding World was nothing short of normal. Elemental magic though—that had not been seen for centuries. It was said that Nicolas Flammel studied elemental magic, but was never able to bend the elements. His theory was based on the wizards dependency on a wand; claiming that the wand actually limited a wizards ability to extend themselves naturally through nature. Astraea was never fond of using her wand anyways. Cantated magic always came easy to her, and under Severus’s training she was already ahead of most of the students in her year. 

The last known witch to harness the power of elemental magic was Morgan le Fey. The protector of King Arthur was unstoppable, but because she was a half-blood many looked down upon her. Since le Fey elemental magic simply disappeared, the Ministry deemed it as a form of theoretical magic. It was never detectable by the trace, which provided a sense of relief to both Snape and Astraea. She always knew that if the Ministry found out she would become a test subject. Snape knew that if the Dark Lord ever found out the outcome might be even worse. 

Snape stood from his seat, closing the book delicately. “As long as you remain aware of the consequences of your actions.” She watched as Snape flicked his wand and returned the book back to its place on the shelf. Astraea was aware that her father and Severus were quite close during their time at Hogwarts. Snape did not tell many stories of his adolescence and avoided the subject when it was brought up. Astraea only asked about her mother once. As much as she wanted to remember her she never felt a connection to her birth parents. Snape’s voice brought her back into the room.

“Make sure you finish packing tonight.” 

“When do I leave?”

“Tomorrow, I believe Zabini will be meeting you at the Nott residence. Do the Nott boy a favor and hide your mark. I’m sure he does not need to live in any more fear than he already does.” Astraea rolled her eyes at his remark. “And Draco will be joining you lot as well.”

She slumped her shoulders, “Wonderful.”

“Play civil with the Malfoy boy this year. I am sure he is under enough pressure from the Ministry.” 

“Are you telling me this as my professor, or as my guardian?” 

“Whichever you see fit,” he responded in a bored tone.

“Whatever.” She quickly cleaned her place at the table, and made her way up to her room. The flat they shared was small, yet enough. Her room was upstairs just down the hall from Severus’s living quarters. Compared to Nott’s home or even Malfoy’s one would assume that her and Severus were as poor as the Weasley’s. Snape always said that wealth came from knowledge and the ability to prove one’s self. Astraea on the other hand never cared for material things, less was always more for her. 

Her room was plain. A simple twin bed surrounded by plain white walls decorated with a few photos. The desk and wardrobe took up most of her floor space. There was a full length mirror next to her desk, and she would sometimes use it to communicate with Tracey over summer holiday. Books covered the desk’s mahogany surface, and atop of her copy of Advanced Potions lay a copy of The Daily Prophet. The past few issues had Potter’s face splattered across the front, condemning him for claiming the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned. Astraea wasn’t stupid, but she was positive the media control at the Ministry and the Prophet were. Anyone would be a complete imbecile to not have noticed that the air outside was a bit thicker than usual. Clouds constantly covered London, people were quickly moving into hiding. Yet, feigning ignorance was a simpler solution to the Ministry because no one was truly prepared for what was to come. 

She quickly tossed the paper into the bin under her desk and moved to her trunk at the end of her bed. Her wand lay neatly atop her pillow, a 12-inch Yew wand with a Thestral hair core. The core in itself was a rare find at Ollivander’s, but Ollivander always claimed that the wand yields itself to the witch. Her wand never presented issues, but with her ability there was never a need for one. 

Snape’s voice broke through her mind. Pack the wand. Astraea always hated it when Severus used legilimency to relay messages to her. It was the only time he invaded her privacy. She huffed, grabbing the wand. “Yeah, I know.” She turned the wand thrice in her hands remembering how Snape almost looked impressed when he learned that she could perform cantated magic. Astraea had hoped that Snape would have figured out that she was anything, but ordinary. If anything she was more of an anomaly. The sigil on the side of her wand stared back at her, she gently ran her finger over the grooves as she did whenever she felt anxious. Severus had told her that sigils were a form of ancient magic and the one on her wand helped the owner remain calm when they were troubled. 

Astraea looked at the sigils etched into her palms. She was only twelve when she got the tattoos, but according to Severus and Dumbledore they would provide her with protection. On her left palm was a grounding sigil and on her right was one representing heavy release. She loved the markings on her body because they set her apart from others, like many other things about her. Pansy Parkinson on the other hand saw it differently. During their third year the comments and questions were ruthless. Pansy always asked if she got them during her time in Azkaban, and it soon mutated into a rumor that she was actually related to Sirius Black. 

Moving across her room to her mirror she took a good look at her appearance. She still looked a little too thin in the face, her cheek bones protruding. Her hair in coils surrounding her face and falling down pass her shoulder blades, her lips with a tint of red settled into a frown. Lifting her shirt she looked at the new sigil she received right after the mark. Inked into the center of her diaphragm, the location was where the spirit connected the most according to Snape. It was a protection from unknown forces; Snape had said that once her purpose was fulfilled the sigil will disappear. This sigil was another request from Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Snape was working as a double agent for them, and now she could assume that she was as well. Severus never really gave her an explanation as to why he was a member of the Order. He had always claimed she was too young to understand, but apparently she was not young for the Dark Mark. 

“Look at the mirror any longer and I will simply assume my ward has become Pansy Parkinson.” Snape stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. 

“Parenting does not suit you Severus.” 

“Narcissism does not suit you either.” She smirked at him through her reflection. She watched as he grabbed the handle of her door and began to shut her door. “Bed. Now.” Astraea jumped into her bed and pulled the covers over her body. Although she hated summer holidays, she hoped that Draco would at least show up late to Nott’s home. Hearing him complain always puts a damper on her mood.


	3. Chapter 2

Theo’s home would rarely be described as a home. In comparison to Malfoy Manor it was still relatively large decorated in the Gothic style. It could still be described as a dark place adorned with beautiful stain glass windows and flying buttresses, but the beauty was only on the outside. The inside of the home was bleak, black paint on the walls and dark tapestries describing the Nott Pureblood lineage made the home look more like a museum than a place a child would be raised. Astraea abhorred Theo’s house, but since she received the mark Thuban Nott could only speak praises of her.

Her favorite place was the backyard. The garden was vast and open; she often found herself lying in the flower patches just to feel the Earth vibrate beneath her. When her and Theo were children his mother would watch as they zoomed around on the gardens on their brooms. After Theo’s mother passed away the gardens remained empty. Astraea could never figure out if Thuban actually missed his wife; her death was rarely spoken of and was still a sore subject with Theo.

Today the backyard air felt a bit humid. Her baby hairs were stubbornly stuck to her face as she lied in the garden. There was a shift in the Earth as her palms sensed the cadence of footsteps. “Rae!” Smiling to herself she could see the stupid grin that would adorn Theodore’s face. She flattened her palm in the grass and quickly pulled her hand down to her side, pulling the Earth beneath her. Behind her was a heavy thud, and she chuckled hearing Theo’s gasp.

“What the hell?” She turned over to watch Theo slowly pick himself up, he was already muttering nonsense to himself with an annoyed expression. “Do me a favor and hold off on the elemental magic for once?” He rubbed his thigh trying to soothe the pain.

“Where is the fun in that?” She enjoyed teasing him. They were close, and his mother always said they fought like siblings.

“Can I just have one summer— _one summer_ without injury?”

“But you see,” she lifted her index finger at him as if to scold “that ruins tradition, and if there is anything we Slytherins know how to do, it is to upkeep tradition.”Astraea patted the space beside her. “Besides if you returned to Hogwarts injured Greengrass will have an excuse to dote on you.” She wiggled her eyebrows and watched as Theo’s cheeks were instantly flushed.

Nudging her shoulder playfully he took his seat next to her. “I’ll let it slide since it’s your birthday.”

“You know I hate my birthday.” Astraea stared off at the large oak at the end of the garden, just before the forest. She could feel the air move through each strand of her hair. Taking in a deep breath the floral scent mixed with maple left her at ease.

“I know,” Theo said smirking. “Which is why you’ll absolutely hate your gift.”

She tilted her head and brought her hand into her line of vision. Waving her hand back and forth the air shook the leaves in sync with her movements. “Planning on torturing me on my special day? How kind.” She sighed in defeat crossing her arms over her chest. “When does he come?”

“With Blaise in about an hour.”

“I do not know how you two put up with him.”

Theo laughed sardonically. “You know Malfoy asks the same about you. Zabini and I have a bet running.”

_A bet?_ Her ears perked up instantly. “About?”

“How long you are going to last before kicking his ass.”

Astraea snorted, “I give it two hours.”

“I’m shocked you think you can last that long.” He watched as she rolled her eyes. “You know he thinks you’re a shit witch.”

“Yes, just because everything is based on marks in Hogwarts. That definitely determines a witch’s ability,” she retorted sarcastically. It wasn’t that she was a “shit witch” as Malfoy had put it. She loved to learn, but Hogwarts felt limiting and she yearned for that action. If every exam was based on a duel she was sure she would be top of her class. “He shouldn’t make such hasty assumptions. He actually hasn’t _seen_ what I can do.”

Zabini and Malfoy arrived just after dinner. Both boys matured over the summer. Zabini's skin was darker than usual, a fresh tan from the Italian coast she would assume. Blaise and his mother often returned to her home town in Italy, and it would be a nice get away from the Dark Lord as well. Over the summer Malfoy grew a few inches, there were new bags forming under his eyes. Theo had informed her that Lucius had been released from Azkaban that morning. She had expected Malfoy to come to the Nott home with haughty banter, but he was quiet. Malfoy looked as if he was the one locked in the cupboard under the stairs. He was so pale, Narcissa must think that being indoors and shielding him from the world would keep him safe. He only looked miserable.

Zabini warmly smiled at Astraea greeting her politely, but Malfoy could barely look at her. Theo had mentioned that Malfoy had been jealous that she was marked, but she wouldn’t use this information against him. Astraea would never wish the mark upon anyone, not even Draco Malfoy.

“I thought you said she wasn’t coming Nott,” growled Malfoy.

“Malfoy, we can all pretend that you aren’t a git for one day,” she shot back.

Draco immediately rolled his eyes, looking like a stubborn child that had just been denied candy. Astraea resisted the urge to irritate him further, although seeing him change into a new shade of magenta would have been an excellent birthday gift to herself.

“Nott, can you keep your girlfriend from staring at me for too long?” Malfoy huffed. She hadn’t realized that she was staring, but a tinge of pink reached her cheeks. His nose scrunched as if he smelled something terrible. “What are you going to do Wilkes? Going to show us what you can do now that you are one?”

Her brow raised immediately, he hadn’t referred to her as a Death Eater. He simply could not make the statement. She marched forward rolling up her sleeve with full intentions of invading his personal space. “Why don’t you call it like it is Draco? Say it—say I’m a Death Eater.” His eyes quickly took a look at her tattoo, and she never thought he could be paler. When he remained silent she pulled her sleeve down once more. “Good to see your balls dropped over summer,” she stated sarcastically.

Before bed they decided to venture to the backyard and reminisce on previous years. Zabini brought the Firewhiskey that he took from his mother’s reserve.

“Thank Merlin your mom is a drunk,” Astraea said as her fingers gripped the shot glass.

Blaise coughed down his first shot, “She never notices anything, unless it has money and is walking.” Astraea smelled the cinnamon radiating from her shot, she liked their drinking escapades. It actually provided her a sense of normalcy that she lacked at Spinner’s End. Small moments like these are what she appreciated the most, she didn’t have to think about the mark or the demands of it. Her eyes lit up as she downed her second shot.

“You lads want to really make this fire whiskey?”

Malfoy eyed her cooly. “What are you going to do? Light a match like a pathetic Muggle?”

Nott elbowed her in the ribs, “Rae, don’t…”

She straightened her back ignoring Nott, “Care to find out Malfoy?”

He lifted his brow surprised by the challenge, “grab a lighter will you Nott?”

Theo rolled his eyes and began to stand up, “If we’re doing this, then you are coming with me Malfoy.” He grabbed Draco by the collar and pulled him up. Astraea leaned back on her elbows and watched the pair walk towards the house

“Why get matches when they have me?” Her response tickled Malfoy’s ears as he turned towards her with a curious look.

“Rae, stop. Snape will have your arse for this,” seethed Blaise.

Rolling her eyes she scoffed, “What the man doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Malfoy’s eyes glittered with interest. She had him right where she wanted him. _Shit witch, I’ll fucking show him._

“What are you going on about Wilkes? About t show us a pathetic trick are you?” Theo and Blaise shot daggers in her direction. She desperately wanted to put Malfoy in his place, but the boys were right. Now was not the time or place. Malfoy chuckled darkly, “It’s best you remember that you aren’t special. That mark doesn’t make you the witch you think you are. You are no better than the rest of this lot.”

Astraea felt heat seep into her cheeks. Theo grabbed onto Draco’s elbow pulling him back towards the house.

“Rae, breath don’t do anything stupid,” Blaise whispered. Blaise studied her carefully he knew she had a temper and when she was upset it was like a ticking time bomb. The last think he wanted was to explain why the Nott residence caught on fire. Flames licked her fingers as the glass shattered in her hands. “Bloody hell Rae! You can’t let him get to you like that!”

“You should be proud Zabini, he walked away without any damage,” she gritted. “Hand me the bottle will you?” He rolled his eyes and handed her the bottle; she took a large swig allowing it t burn her throat.

“You’re going to get sick,” Nott noted as he sat back down, Malfoy following in behind him.

“Well happy birthday to me,” she replied sarcastically pouring them all another shot. The boys carefully lit their shots on fire. Theo offered a toast as their glasses clinked together. The night moved on in laughs and slight banter as they finished off the bottle and went to bed.

Astraea’s head was swimming, she knew she was buzzed and would surely regret it in the morning.


	4. Chapter 3

Platform 9 3/4 always provided Astraea with a sense of calm; it meant that she would meet familiar faces and be free of Snape's watchful eye. This year felt a bit different already. Her, Theo, Blaise, and Draco dragged their trunks across the platform scanning for other Slytherins. The noises and pungent smells had Astraea wincing in pain and wishing that she had a hangover potion. Her ear drums were pounding and the voices of parents wishing their children goodbye were sending her just over the edge.

"Told you not to drink too much," Nott cheekily remarked. Astraea shot him an annoyed expression mouthing "shut up." She scanned the crowd once more hoping to find a familiar face, quickly she spotted Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass. Astraea groaned internally, both girls have been less than civil with her on several occasions. Pansy perked up the moment she saw Draco, immediately attaching herself to him like a leech. Daphne blushed as Theo greeted her with a polite smile. Astraea knew they both fancied each other, but were too idiotic to act on it.

"Have a pleasant summer Astraea?" Pansy asked.

Astraea couldn't hide her look of surprise, Pansy asked her a question—a civil one at that. "Are you confused? Or did you experience blunt force trauma over the holiday?" Pansy's eyes grew dark with rage. _Yes_ , Astraea thought to herself. _This is the Pansy I'm familiar with, low insults and a lack of wit._ Pansy's eyes slipped from Astraea's and quickly peaked at Astraea's left forearm, looking for the outline of the mark. Realization dawned on Astraea; Pansy was being civil because she knew. Astraea sized her up deciding to use this opportunity to take advantage of Parkinson's vulnerability. "Care to take a look at how my summer went Parkinson?" Pansy moved slightly behind Draco as Astraea closed the space between them. Pansy's eyes looked small as she cowered into herself and Astraea decided that fear was just as ugly on her as arrogance.

Draco narrowed his eyes at Astraea, already annoyed with the girls' exchange. "Oh come off it you two. Let's get on the bloody train. The faster the year begins, the closer it is to winter holiday." Their group quickly boarded the train finding an empty cart toward the back. Astraea leaned back in her seat listening to Daphne brag about all the Pureblood summer socials. Theodore mentioned them to her when they first became friends. He always described them as "match-making parties" and always remarked how he refused to attend any of them. Now, Theo looked like a good golden retriever, hanging on all of Daphne's words waiting for his treat. Astraea never had an interest in those events. Why be paraded around as live stock? So older men can ogle at her and upset their wives? Snape saw summer as an opportunity to learn more. She hated it, but understood his intentions.

"Did you hear?" Draco addressed the group with a glint of authority. "We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

"We have a new professor every year you prat." Astraea shot him an annoyed look. Malfoy was intelligent, but she never expected him to be this dense.

"Will you let me finish?" He shot back. "She is from the Ministry, the Minister of Magic's personal secretary; Father had the pleasure of working with her personally." The group fell silent at the mention of Lucius Malfoy. They all knew he had been released from Azkaban, but it was known that the Malfoy family didn't take the imprisonment well. Lucius was quickly released based on Potter's "false accusations." Astraea knew that money talked, but the Dark Lord's will screamed. Draco leaned into the group as if he had a secret to share. "Rumor is the Ministry is trying to remove Dumbledore." Pansy gasped, and Daphne looked around the group in surprise. Astraea wished that Tracey was sitting with them; her tolerance for stupidity was relatively low today.

Placing her hands on the cushioned seat Astraea pushed herself up. "While you ladies gossip, I'm going to change and head up to the Prefect cart." She looked at Nott, playfully hitting his shoulder, Daphne watched their interaction with heated cheeks. "I'll catch you later?"

"Yeah, don't torture too many children," Nott called after her as she exited the cart.

The Prefect cart was packed to the brim. She didn't know who her male counterpart was going to be. Across the cart she could see Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, needless to say she wasn't surprised that they were chosen. It's always Dumbledore's favorites, she thought to herself. Weasley never liked her, he openly slandered her almost as much as Potter spoke of Malfoy.

"Never quite understood why the blood traitor hates you," Malfoy stated as he moved a Ravenclaw to the side so he would have enough room. Astraea groaned, the last thing she wanted was to spend more time with Draco Malfoy. "Don't look so excited Wilkes, we have all year to be the best of mates," retorted Malfoy. They awaited their instructions from the Head Boy and Head Girl. They were tasked with conducting rounds on all the carts making sure everyone was ready in their robes. Malfoy flanked her right side as they roamed from cart to cart alerting nervous first years to get ready.

Down the train Astraea could see the top of Graham Montague's head, his dark hair a complete contrast to his icy blue eyes. He smiled sinisterly as he caught her gaze, quickly making his way over to the pair. "Draco," he gave the blonde a curt nod. "Have a good summer?"

Draco rolled his shoulders back. "As good as it can be."

Montague's gaze immediately turned to Astraea. "Nice to see you have blossomed this summer." His eyes roamed her body hungrily.

Astraea held back a snarl that was forming in the back of her throat. "Piss off Montague."

"Still feisty, you should know better than to talk to a superior like that."

"You lost my respect a long time ago," she growled.

Graham moved closer, invading her space. "About time I earned it back then."

Malfoy looked between the two with a stoic expression. "Wilkes and I have to finish our rounds. I'll catch you at practice." Malfoy moved passed them and began marching forward toward the next cart.

Astraea began to follow Draco when she felt Montague grab her wrist and have her face him. His pupils were dilated as he tightened the grip on her wrist. "Better watch yourself Wilkes."

She roughly removed herself from his grip shaking with anger. Quickly moving down the aisle she decided that her Prefect duties would be done for the day. Ripping her cart door open she found her fellow Slytherins gazing at her curiously. Theo immediately snapped out of his trance and rushed to her side. He was rubbing the sides of her arms trying to calm down her breathing. She didn't realize that she was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"What the fuck is wrong with her?" Draco questioned as he appeared in the doorway.

"Shut the fuck up Malfoy," she gritted through her teeth.

Nott bent down to meet her eyes watching as they turned that glint of red. "Rae you need to control your breathing, you can't have an outburst here." Pansy looked between the two in fear. Theo felt the train halt and quickly ran towards the exit. The carriages would be taking them up to the castle. "Astraea, go into the forest and blow off some steam. I'll cover for you. Just—just make it back for dinner."

She ran as quickly as she could. When she knew that she was out of view she cast a silencing spell and screamed. Red and orange flames were released from her mouth, licking the humid air. Astraea was sure that she hated Montague more than she hated Malfoy. Graham was a predator always stalking for prey. He was infamous for taking advantage of girls that were much too young. But Astraea was his greatest conquest, a challenge as he described it once. Severus always warned her to keep her distance from him, but since they were in the same house it was nearly impossible to avoid him. Astraea leveled her breathing as she headed back to the carriages.

Waiting there for her was Tracey Davis, a fellow Slytherin and a half-blood. Both got along so well since they both convinced themselves that they didn't really belong.

"Another tantrum?" She questioned arching her brow slightly.

"Ran into Montague," replied Astraea dully.

Tracey shifted her weight and uncrossed her arms. "I never understood why you don't just put him in his place."

"You know I can't," deadpanned Astraea.

"I know—I just—I just hate seeing you lose yourself." That was Tracey's favorite new phrase since Astraea got the mark. She assured Tracey that she would protect her at all costs. "Theo let me know where you were. Daphne didn't look too happy about that."

"What a kind older brother," replied Astraea sarcastically.

They both hopped onto the last carriage sitting in silence for quite some time before Tracey broke the air. "Draco asked what was wrong."

"Didn't expect him to care."

"Neither did Pansy."

Astraea knew Parkinson wouldn't try anything this year, especially after she was marked. "We should be fine. She fears me now." Tracey shrugged indifferent.

They entered the Great Hall just as the sorting ceremony finished. Theo moved aside creating space for Astraea. Across the table she could feel Malfoy studying her. She didn't know what he was searching for, but his gaze remained throughout dinner.

Dinner went by quickly and Astraea and Draco guided the first years down to the common room.

"The password is fiddles,"Astraea informed the first years. "Look for the new password on the announcement board weekly." They all entered the common room and Astraea finally felt as if she were at home.

The black marble radiated the cold atmosphere as the Black Lake glistened beneath them. Water always put Astraea at ease and she often enjoyed taking midnight swims. None of the creatures bothered her and there were moments when the mermaids had sought out her help.

"Astraea, Draco! Over here!" Theo was lounging on one of the leather couches next to Daphne and her sister Astoria. If Daphne hated her, then Astoria wanted to murder her. Astraea never understood why, the girl was two years under them and quite bright for her age. Astoria's downfall was failing to mind her own business. Astraea took a seat at the arm rest of Blaise's chair, quietly observing the group. She only really considered Theo, Blaise, and Tracey her mates. Everyone else she would have considered acquaintances. The group was eagerly planning their first trip to Hogsmeade, or as Blaise put it the "annual whiskey run."

"You coming Rae?" Blaise asked. Without him or Theo no one would ever invite her.

She shrugged. "Think I might sit this one out."

"Why?" Draco blurted out suddenly.

"Figured I'd like some peace and quiet for once."

"Not enough at Spinner's End with Daddy dearest?" Astoria spat. Her eyes narrowed at Astraea like a cat ready to pounce.

Astraea offered her a sarcastic half smile. "So sweet of you to care Astoria." She wouldn't push her today. Astoria will pick fights with her the rest of the year anyways. "You lot have fun; I'm going to bed," she announced. As she was walking up the stairs she could hear Tracey throwing insults at Astoria —she could always rely on Tracey to have her back. It wasn't enough though; Astoria went on complaining about Astraea. She peaked down the stairs and saw Astoria sitting on the couch like a proper lady. No leaning back into the cushions lazily; Astoria left the perfect amount of space between the couch and her back. Astraea flicked her hand forward and watched as Astoria slammed her face into the wood coffee table.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Astoria screamed as blood gushed out of her nose.

_Now that's the perfect way to start the year_ , Astraea thought to herself as she finished climbing up the stairs to the girls dormitory.


End file.
